Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.80.31
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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kaccit
—
whether
Interrogative particle expressing concerned inquiry — 'do you, by chance, remember?' Gauḍīyas note the warmth: this is not a quiz but an invitation.
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gurukule
—
in the spiritual master's school
Same word as v.27, recurring. The verse triple-marks the gurukula setting — this whole second half of the chapter is a hymn to guru-saṁskāra.
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smarasi
—
you remember
Present indicative of √smṛ — the same root as smaraṇa, the bhakti-limb. To remember the guru is itself sādhana. Kṛṣṇa is inviting Sudāmā into smaraṇa-sevā.
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dvijaḥ
—
a twice-born person
From dvi-ja. The 'second birth' is the gāyatrī-saṁskāra at the start of brahmacarya — and per this verse it is from the guru that the dvija attains beyond ignorance. Gauḍīyas: spiritual rebirth is guru-mediated.
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tamasaḥ
—
of ignorance
Genitive of tamas — darkness, ignorance, the lowest guṇa. The verse promises crossing-beyond it via guru-vidyā. Gauḍīyas: this 'tamas-transcending' is not impersonal mokṣa but the recognition of Kṛṣṇa as Bhagavān — the deepest tamas-piercing.
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pāram
—
the transcending
Accusative of pāra — far shore. Idiomatic for crossing beyond saṁsāra. Gauḍīyas: the 'far shore' is Vaikuṇṭha-prema, not formless Brahman.
In his mind, Sudama was doubting, "Because he worships me in this way though I am so low, is he doing this because he thinks I am someone else?" In order to dispel this doubt, Krsna then makes him recall their school days together in twelve verses. Do you remember our living at the gurukula, by which, gaining knowledge of God (vijneyam) the brahmana crosses over the material world (tamasah)? "
Maunam sammati-lakṣaṇam: silence is a sign of consent. Seeing that Sudāmā agreed by silence, Kṛṣṇa begins to relate a story to show the cause of their friendship. In order destroy criticizing the fault of enduring great hardships, which he will now relate, and show that this life was a cause of happiness, he glorifies service to guru in four verses. Do you remember our residence? Realizing that knowledge, one surpasses ignorance with all its suffering, and attains Vaikuṇṭha (param). The prefix vi in vijñānāṁ indicates knowledge of the Lord.
Maunam sammati-lakṣaṇam: silence is a sign of consent. Seeing that Sudāmā agreed by silence, Kṛṣṇa begins to relate a story to show the cause of their friendship. In order destroy criticizing the fault of enduring great hardships, which he will now relate, and show that this life was a cause of happiness, he glorifies service to guru in four verses. O brahman! He is qualified to remember. Do you remember our living in the house of the guru? Understanding with faith and realization (vi-jñāya) what is to be known about the Lord (vi-jñeyam), very easily as a secondary result one crosses saṁsāra or attains Vaikuṇṭha which destroys all suffering completely.
- What does my relationship with my teacher actually free me into?
- Where could I lean into learning rather than collecting more information?
A teacher pulling on a thread, drawing the student back into the old days at school: Kṛṣṇa is opening Sudāmā's memory — and through that opening, the Bhāgavatam will pour the entire guru-tattva lesson of verses 32-34. Memory, in this verse, is pedagogy.
My note
Source: vedabase.io